Tucked into a storefront at 116 Main Street in the small village of Phelps, Body Kneads Wellness Spa is the kind of place you find through word-of-mouth rather than highway signage. The spa earned Silver for Best Massage at the 2023 FLX Finest awards, a testament to how deeply a solo practitioner can embed herself in a community when the work is consistently good. Phelps sits between Geneva and Newark, just south of the Thruway corridor, and Body Kneads draws clients from across that stretch of Ontario County who would rather drive to someone they trust than gamble on a chain spa.

The focus here is therapeutic bodywork — this is not a resort spa selling lavender-scented ambiance, but a clinical space where the massage therapist knows anatomy and listens to what your body actually needs. Sessions are tailored rather than templated, and repeat clients are the backbone of the business. For visitors exploring the Finger Lakes who want to recover from a day of hiking Bare Hill or cycling the outlet trail, Body Kneads offers a grounded, no-frills alternative to the hotel spa markup. Book ahead, because a one-person operation means availability fills quickly.